An Honest Review of the Viking VGIC53014BSS Range

The Viking 5 Series 30-Inch Gas Range is one of our best-selling Viking products. It's an affordable model for its tier and boasts all the professional capabilities a serious foodie could ever want. Let's break down exactly what those features are, how well they work, and whether or not they're worth the high-end price tag.

The Viking 5 Series VGIC53014BSS Range has four open burners. Open burners, as opposed to sealed burners, give you more direct heat so you can cook faster. When cooking on the Viking VGIC53014BSS Range, you'll notice an immediate difference in speed. Water boils faster, onions will caramelize sooner, and you'll notice that you're spending a lot more time enjoying your food and a lot less time preparing it. Professional chefs prefer open burners because of how quickly they reach high temperatures. However, spilled food can fall inside the burners, making it difficult to keep the range clean. For more information on open and sealed burners, you can check out our "Open v. Sealed" article in our Learning Center. The Viking VGIC53014BSS Range, like all open burner models, has a drip tray that will catch any spills and is easy to wipe clean. Additionally, the burner bowls and caps on this range are made of removable, easy-to-clean porcelain. This makes cleanup easier, but it's still harder to clean than a sealed burner range. Nevertheless, that's a small con when compared to the many pros this range has to offer.

The 30-Inch Viking VGIC53014BSS Range's four burners all have commercial cooking power at 15,000 BTUs and a 30,000 BTU U-shaped burner in the center of the stovetop. The U-shaped burner also has an infrared broiler that delivers a great sear at a high heat. This is great for meat and fish and enables you to get the perfect sear and char.

The burner all have the Viking VariSimmer setting that keeps even the most delicate flame consistent. Viking ranges, like all professionally inspired appliances, are known for their ability to quickly and efficiently switch between low and high heat settings. This range also has a pretty important security feature, called SureSpark Ignition System, that will automatically reignite any extinguished flames, even on the lowest temperature settings. This prevents gas from continuing to come out of the extinguished burner. The controls are simple and intuitive and the pro-style knobs make you feel like a real chef.

The grates on this range are also really convenient because they're continuous grates. You don't have to lift your pots and pans to move them over to a different burner, like you would for separated burners. You just have to drag it across the grates. This is convenient, but it does make an unpleasant sound (depending on the weight of the pot, the heavier it is the louder the sound is) and the grates are very heavy. You can remove them to clean them, but lifting them to place them in a sink is a chore in and of itself. Not to mention, washing them in a sink may be a challenge id you have a standard size sink.

Note: The range in this gif is the 5 Series 36-inch model, however the location of the interior lighting, the convection fan, and the racks are identical in the 30-inch range and the 36-inch range.

While the stove top is the star of the show on this range, the oven is pretty impressive too. It has convection fans that distribute heat evenly throughout the oven cavity, so you'll get great baking results on meals like baked ziti and casseroles, as well as desserts like cakes and pastries. The oven heat and the broiler heat are both even. It has good interior lighting that provides clear visibility through the oven window. However, one mark against this model in terms of convenience is that it doesn't have a self-cleaning cycle; you'll have to clean the oven by hand routinely to maintain it's performance and great look. Another important point to note is that the oven door does not close softly on its own. If you don't hold on to the handle and close the door softly on your own, it has the tendency to slam shut due to the weight of the door.

Overall, this is a great range. Its biggest drawbacks are that it is more difficult to clean than a sealed burner range and the oven door is not a soft-close door. Other than those two points, this range is powerful, efficient, and stylish. It's also surprisingly simple; all the controls are clearly labeled and the range is easy to use. Despite its steep price tag, this range does not have all the bells and whistles you may expect from a professional appliance. However, most pro-style appliances are characterized by their high heat capabilities, rather than their fancy features. Therefore, this is a standard pro-range that feels and looks formidable and powerful in your kitchen, and it's comparatively affordable as Viking and similar products go. Another pro for the Viking VGIC53014BSS Range is that it comes in multiple colors, like burgundy and cobalt blue, to match your personal style. However, despite those great color options, most of our customers go with the tried and true Stainless Steel finish. We personally have the Stainless Steel Viking 30-Inch Range in our showroom in Brooklyn. If you're in the area, we invite you to stop by and see this range for yourself!